Police fire tear gas at pensioners protesting arrears at Lagos House

Police officers in Lagos State on Monday fired teargas at pensioners who gathered at the Lagos House in Ikeja to protest unpaid pension increases, wage awards and other outstanding benefits.

According to Vanguard newspaper, the retirees, drawn from the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), had gone to the government premises to press the Lagos State Government to implement the increases and settle the arrears they said had accumulated.

The situation became tense after police officers deployed teargas, sending some of the protesters away from the premises.

The action came on the date the retirees had earlier set as a deadline for the government to address their grievances.

The pensioners had warned that they would stage a larger demonstration on 31 August

if the state failed to act, particularly on the pension enhancement and wage award.

Their demand for an increase also has a policy dimension. The National Pension Commission (PenCom) had previously asked the Lagos Government to extend periodic pension increases granted to retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme to those under the CPS.

The disagreement has persisted despite the state’s assurances on pension payments.

The Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), responding to complaints from retirees in an earlier report, said the government had paid N168 billion to about 48,000 pensioners.

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The retirees, however, have continued to complain about unpaid increases and other benefits, saying delays have put many of them under financial strain as living costs rise.

Monday’s protest at Lagos House has now added a new dimension to the dispute, with the pensioners questioning the decision to use teargas to disperse them.

The Lagos State Government and the police had not issued a statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.